National News Roundup

A negotiator from the Colorado labor department stepped in to a
contract dispute last week between Denver teachers and the school
district. Teachers in the 63,000-student district were threatening to
walk out this week if they could not resolve disagreements over
salaries, working conditions, and school-based governance.

Teachers in four Pennsylvania districts, meanwhile, continued their
strikes and were joined by a fifth, the 3,800-student Ringgold
district.

Elsewhere, negotiations were proving fruitful. New York City school
principals, upset over "unconscionable delays" in settling their
contract, had threatened to strike later this month. But the city's
Council of Supervisors and Administrators reached a tentative agreement
with the board of education last week.

Programs Praised

A conflict-mediation program for Massachusetts high schools and a
televised teachers' workshop are among 10 winners of the Ford
Foundation's annual competition for innovative state- and
local-government initiatives.

The Student Conflict Resolution Experts program was established by
Attorney General Scott Harshbarger of Massachusetts to train students
to defuse violent or potentially violent disputes. Launched as a pilot
project in two schools, it has expanded to 20 schools in 10 cities.

"Here, Thayer, and Everywhere," a professional-development program
for teachers, is broadcast monthly from Thayer High School in
Winchester, N.H. Approximately 5,000 viewers at 550 sites nationwide
watch the program.

Each program will receive a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation,
whichsponsors the competition with the John F. Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University. The winners, selected from a pool of
1,300 applicants, were announced at the White House last Thursday by
Vice President Gore.

Detention Facilities Lacking

Three out of four public and private juvenile jails and detention
centers nationwide fail to provide adequate bed space, health care,
security, or suicide-prevention practices, a U.S. Justice Department
study has found.

Among its recommendations are that large dormitories be eliminated,
that juveniles be screened for suicide risk upon admission, and that
constant monitoring be provided for those who are suicidal.

Single copies of the research summary, "Conditions of Confinement:
Juvenile Detention and Corrections Facilities" (NCJ-141873), are
available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, Box 6000, Rockville,
Md. 20850; or by calling (800) 638-8736.

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